The Winged Migration Race
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: The Cats of Thundera had their royal games (see Omens, Part 1). See how the Birds of Avista enjoyed their own games through their meritocratic reality culture. Based loosely on The Amazing Race. I do not own The Amazing Race, or ThunderCats.
1. Introduction

**A/N:** I once said in another story that the Birds' meritocracy is partly supported by reality game shows. This story has an example of one based loosely on _The Amazing Race_ , though much shorter on the Birds' television screens.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _ThunderCats_ , Warner Bros. does.

* * *

 **The Winged Migration Race**

The skies all over Third Earth are seen, as well as the streets and sky lanes on Avista, the Bird city in the sky. A hoopoe Bird named Tutulu speaks to the audience.

"Here, in Avista city, generations ago, seven diverse Birdmen were set to race from the northern end of the world to the southern end, and back again, not on foot, not by airship, but by wing power and their natural talents at navigation, all for a grand prize of A$100,000, and the title of the Ultimate Migrator."

* * *

 _Flashback:_

 _"All right, my feathered friends, the skies await you. Go!" said Tutulu._

 _Seven Birds take to the sky to complete their migratory routes first out of all of them._

 _Flashback ends._

* * *

"And now, in the seventh month of the three thousandth, six hundredth, eighty-ninth year since the defeat of Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living and the construction of Avista, another group of seven Birdmen and Birdwomen will be racing around the world in The Winged Migration Race!"

On a landing platform in Avista, where many fans of the race are observing, seven Birds come out to the starting point, one by one.

"Here come the racers!" says Tutulu. "Frendo, a male Cerulean Warbler who hopes to win because he doesn't want to keep sleeping in his private airship! Rubie, a female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird with a penchant for taking on the appearance of a goth! Vulturky, a female Turkey Vulture with a taste for some of the finest carrion cordon bleu the city's restaurants have to offer! Gando, a male Canada Goose who takes pride in being part of one of the most plentiful waterfowl species! Sidewind, a male Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker with a sweet beak who just loves Bird candy! Forkera, a female Tree Swallow from the city's local nudist colony, as the swallows are so fond of! And, Searuff, a male Arctic Tern whose goal is to be the most dominant racer The Winged Migration Race has ever seen!"

The racers line up at the starting line a short distance from the edge of the platform.

"As all people familiar with ordinary birds know, many non-sapient birds migrate from north to south during a certain part of the year," says Tutulu, "We also know this happens because food usually gets scarce in the northern habitats during the winter. Then, in the spring, they return north, because in warmer months, the north has an abundance of food compared to tropical habitats, and birds can rear more young in the north than in the south, too. And this, the Winged Migration Race, represents the spirit of perseverance and adventure that goes with every migratory bird's courageous migration, which, I must say, is very courageous, considering the dangers brought about by storms, by predators, by accidents, and other things on the journey!"

Applause!

"You should all be very happy that you've been chosen to represent your different kinds in this, the most legendary race the Birds have ever raced in!" continues Tutulu, "The Winged Migration Race has gone on for generation after generation, by Birds representing all different methods of finding their migratory destination, by visual landmarks, by the sun, by star patterns, by Third Earth's magnetic field, by sound and smell, and by improvisation; by Birds who may or may not master the timing, the speed, or the altitude, of migration, who prefer to migrate under cover of night! And now, it is your turn to race around Third Earth!"

The Bird racers cheer. More applause!

"And of course, the winner of the first of seven flights will win a powerful advantage in the race," said Tutulu. "If you are racer number one at the end of this first flight, you will win the Feather Beacon. If you have the Feather Beacon, and you are lost in the skies, all you have to do is activate the Feather Beacon, and you will be able to detect where the next Bird's Nest (Pit Stop) is, no matter where you are, and you may fly straight there."

The Birds all look excited. Tutulu continues again. "You can use the Beacon up until the end of the fifth flight. Is everybody ready?"

The Bird racers let out ecstatic bird cries to communicate their enthusiasm.

"All right," said Tutulu, "The skies await you. Good luck… Fly safe…"

The Birds ready their wings for flight. The fans are tense with excitement.

"…Go!"

* * *

 **To be continued...**


	2. Flight 1

**Flight 1:**

* * *

The seven racers all took to the air under their own wing power. Searuff the tern and Gando the goose, the two strongest flyers, gained a temporary lead in the initial beginning of the flight, but Forkera the swallow wasn't far behind them. Sidewind the sapsucker (woodpecker) was doing pretty good, and so was Vulturky the vulture, but Frendo the warbler and Rubie the hummingbird, the smallest racers, lagged behind a little.

"For those of you not so familiar with The Winged Migration Race," said Tutulu, "the race may seem lopsided, with some flyers being bigger and stronger than others. But each racer has his or her own talents in migration, and each one can fly in migration only by day or by night. And each flight takes a day and a night to complete, and ends the next morning, and besides, there are obstacles that must be overcome along the way. There are storms below the clouds frequently, and they may blow the Birds off course. There are also predators, like the Lizards, the Monkeys, the Jackals, and the Cats, not to mention other Birds from the Bird Nation, and they must be overcome or avoided, too. There are all kinds of accidents our racers could meet, as well. And sometimes, when they get close to each other, they may have to get physical and try to hinder each other's flight to the Bird's Nest, although all-out roughhousing is not allowed, for that is the nature of the savages on the ground.

"The Bird's Nest the racers are flying towards in Flight 1 is located on the pinnacle of the mountain peak where the exiled, and most savage, Tiger clan, have made their home, and the racers just have to locate it."

* * *

As hovering cameras followed each racer's every moves, the racers flew down below the clouds, and as the first flight was beginning during the height of the day, the daytime migrants, Searuff, Gando, and Vulturky, got a head start on the flight, while the other four Birds had to wait for the cover of the night, and protect themselves from predators.

"See you folks at the Bird's Nest!" Gando couldn't help throwing back at them cockily as he flew on.

"We'll catch up to you!" said Frendo. "You've got to rest during the night, just like we do during the day!"

"The Feather Beacon is within my grasp already," said Vulturky, "I may be a slower flyer, but I can find my way south with the appropriate landmarks. Let's see now," she mused as she examined the ground beneath her, "That's the City of Dogs, right below Avista City. Those trees a ways south of Dog City estimate to be about one hundred miles away, and they're not far from the icy mountaintop where the Tiger clan has been exiled for so long. Just keep my eyes on those trees, and the mountain range behind it, and I'll be there in no time!"

"Hey!" shouted a familiar voice. Vulturky turned and faced Gando. The goose was grinning.

"What is it, Gando?" asked Vulturky suspiciously.

"Thanks for helping me find the place that points to the Bird's Nest, friend," he said, cocky again. "Now," he continued, "I'm gonna get that Beacon long before you can, and you can't stop me."

"Oh really?" said Vulturky, "What makes you think that? Remember, I'm a vulture, and a vulture is a bird of prey!"

"Ah, too true," said Gando, "But you forget, I'm a Canada Goose, and my species can be quite aggressive, and besides, vultures aren't as strong as other birds of prey, especially not smaller ones."

Vulturky blanched. "You're not seriously thinking of-"

Suddenly, Gando launched himself at Vulturky and began squawking and honking at her, slapping her with his wings, too. The two Birds began to wrestle in the air for a few moments, risking a sharp plummet to the ground, until Gando gave Vulturky a kick to one of her wings, making her begin to dive-bomb downwards.

"Adios, sucker!" said Gando, flying on the same path Vulturky was taking a few minutes ago.

After Vulturky got her flying under control and began to fly upwards again, she yelled, "Gando, you dirty birdie! You played dirty, and before the end, dirty is gonna bite you back in the rump!"

Gando just responded with honking laughter. Vulturky hissed like the vulture she was and followed, albeit with a slightly weakened wing.

* * *

Both of them were hopeful in winning this first flight, but what they didn't know was that Searuff was an excellent navigator, and he could improvise if one method failed him best of all the Birds in the race. He was keeping his eyes out for the mountaintop at the end of the forest, which was the first Bird's Nest, and he was a mighty strong flyer.

Vulturky eventually noticed this and knew he had to make up for lost time if he was going to get there before the tern did. It took about a couple of hours to get pretty close to his rival in the race, but the darkness of night was approaching, and nighttime was no time for a vulture to fly, or soar, if one prefers that term.

Finally, she couldn't see to fly any further until the next morning, and she touched down on a crag and sheltered in a cave. She was certain by now that either Gando or Searuff was going to beat her to the prize. She was partly accurate, as it happened. Gando didn't realize that his fighting with Vulturky gave him a disadvantage in the flight; in using up some energy to tussle with the vulture Bird, he now became tired, and he too had to hole up for the night until the next morning. He chose a patch of tall, moist grass near a lake and dozed off; he was so tired.

Searuff, on the other hand, as a tern, could continue to navigate through the darkness for a little while; such was the power of an Arctic Tern, and he was certain that he was going to beat all the others.

* * *

While he still had a ways to go, though, as darkness fell on the countryside, the other four racers roused themselves and began their nighttime migration to try to catch up to the others. As Forkera took to the skies soonest and fastest, Rubie shouted, "Don't waste too much time showing off your prettiness to the savages down here if you hope to win this race, Forkera!"

"Swallows don't normally migrate at night, for your information," she shouted back. "I'm only doing so this time because I like to start with a challenge!" She then took off.

"Don't worry about her," said Frendo, "This race is for one Bird to win only, and we need to get moving if we're going to catch up in time."

"He's right," said Sidewind as he flapped his small wings in the air and took off. Frendo followed, then shortly afterwards, Rubie.

* * *

In the meantime, Searuff was closing in on the Bird's Nest. In his pleasure at being first, he made a few aerobatic moves that teased the exiled Tigers near the Nest. The Tigers were annoyed and tried to claw him down, but he deftly avoided their claws and flew up to the hidden Nest at the appropriate mountain peak, landing on the rug that was the landing pad for the Bird's Nest. Tutulu was up there, along with a Snow Bunting named Willa.

"Welcome to the home of the Tiger clan," she said to Searuff.

"Thank you," said Searuff, "I really appreciate it."

"Have you ever witnessed a migratory Bird with as much beginner's skill as this one?" asked Tutulu.

"Nope. Never," said Willa. "I've seen a few close competitors, but never one quite as good as him."

They laughed in their own respective Bird languages.

"Well," said Tutulu to Searuff, "It's officially true. You are the winner of Flight 1!"

"YES!" shouted Searuff, kipping into the air like a real tern.

"And because of that," said Tutulu, "You have just won the official advantage in this race, the Feather Beacon!" He handed over a piece of technology with a red blinking light and an on/off switch. It was the color of silver.

"Remember," said Tutulu, "you can use this only once on the race, and then, after it's used, you have to return it to me. And you can use it up until the end of the fifth flight."

"Got it," said Searuff, smiling.

"So how do you feel?" Tutulu asked curiously.

"Well, with my innate talents that I already possess, and now having the Feather Beacon added to it, I feel virtually unstoppable."

Searuff made a pose with the Feather Beacon. The white parts of his plumage shone brightly even in the darkness.

* * *

Forkera was honest when she said that she liked a challenge, but migrating by night was trickier for a swallow than she thought. She couldn't see very well in the dark, so she looked up to the sky. Fortunately, there were some breaks in the clouds, and she could se some stars. She also knew a constellation Third Earthers called "the Tigress," and its point at the end of its "head" pointed to the mountains near the Tiger clan's home.

Taking this information to heart, she decided to follow the stars to the Bird's Nest. Still, she was flying almost blind, and the other three Birds were more used to navigating in the dark.

Frendo looked up at the same stars Forkera had examined, but though warblers were not known for being highly intelligent, Frendo was very thoughtful, and he could feel the magnetic field of Third Earth like a compass. He used this to probe around in the dark for the Nest.

Sidewind had this same ability, and managed to find the correct route after about one hour of searching. And Rubie? No one's completely sure how a hummingbird navigates when it migrates, but according to something she said after the race, Rubie was able to follow the stars (and better than Forkera), and she was just able to hear the noise coming from the Tiger camp from so far away.

From here, it was a race to the finish for these four nighttime racers. Despite her tiny size, Rubie was eventually in the lead, followed by Sidewind, and then Frendo. Forkera, who was still batting around the darkness (figuratively), decided that she wouldn't do such an adventure as migrating at night again, _if_ she stayed in the race.

Fortunately, the sun was starting to rise as they got pretty close to their destination. The first of the later racers to make it to the Bird's Nest was Rubie, who was ecstatic for coming in second, even though it cost her the Feather Beacon. A little while later, Sidewind came in third, and expressed joy, as well.

* * *

At about this time, Vulturky and Gando were slowly rousing themselves from their own rests. Vulturky knew that as the warmth of the sun made heat currents in the air, that was the time for her to move. Gando, in turn, was still very tired, but he managed to wake up enough to get moving again, too.

First Vulturky, and then Gando, who was still a little ahead of her, took off to finish the first flight. As they were within sight of the Nest, Frendo happily came in fourth, and a short while later, Forkera, whose sight finally returned with the rising of the sun, along with her ability to navigate, came in fifth, and even she was pleased to still be in the race.

But try as he might, Gando just hadn't recovered all his strength from the day before, and he was too weary to move fast. Vulturky, on the other hand, didn't need to use much effort to soar in the air, and coasted along just fine. Soon, he was catching up with Gando.

Gando noticed this and said to Vulturky, "Vulturky! Have sympathy for me! I don't know if I'm going to make it to the Bird's Nest under my own power. I'm too pooped out. Can you give me a lift?"

Vulturky blinked. "Why? You played dirty with me once before, and I haven't entirely gotten over it. Besides, we can't both land on the rug at once. One of us _has_ to be last, because I have a feeling that the other racers have all made it to the Nest by now."

"Oh, come on, Vulturky," complained Gando, "Do you think I'd appeal to you if I weren't in great need? Come on, help me! I'll let you take the next spot in the race if you do; that's a promise."

"Really?" asked Vulturky, still a little suspicious.

"Really," said Gando, extending a hand. Vulturky flew over and took it. But as she did, Gando clutched it and attempted to turn her upside down and push her in the direction of the ground.

But this time Vulturky was ready for it. She tackled Gando and tangled his thin arms together, and the slippery goose struggled to untangle his arms and still stay in the air while Vulturky flew on to the Bird's Nest.

"Hey!" yelled Gando, "Now you played dirty, you scrounging scavenger!"

"You did it first," Vulturky reminded him as she flew away, "And now, karma's coming back to bite you in the rump, just like I said."

Gando made a growl-like honk and managed to untangle his arms after thirty seconds, and then he continued on to the Bird's Nest. But by then, it was too late. Vulturky had made it there before him, and was declared racer number six. Vulturky felt great satisfaction at this, to say the least.

A few minutes later, Gando flew in and touched down on the rug. Tutulu looked sad, but also disappointed.

"Gando," he said, "I am sorry to tell you that you are the last racer to arrive." Gando nodded moodily. "And you have been eliminated from the race. I don't think anybody expected you to be the last racer coming today."

"Nope. Figures," said Gando, "To think that a Bird of Avista would believe in revenge for so-called dirty play in a race. I thought only the other Animals were subject to things like that. But then again, I guess you have to expect that in a vulture, even one from Avista. I always prided myself on being a winner at so many things because of my popular species, and let me tell you, this is a humiliation I can't take. I'm just not used to losing."

* * *

 **End of Flight 1**


	3. Flight 2

**Flight 2:**

* * *

"In the first flight of the Winged Migration Race, the Bird racers had to use their migratory instincts to get to the Bird's Nest," said Tutulu. "But they had to do it in whichever time of a 24-hour period was more appropriate for their species to migrate, day or night. Today, the Birds will race during the day, and they will continue to use their instincts, but this time, there will be an obstacle partway to the Bird's Nest: a Predator challenge, if you will, which will be explained further when the first racer is closing in on it.

"Gando the goose was eliminated at the end of the last Flight of the race. Searuff the tern finished the last Flight first, and will depart first at 1100 hours in the morning from the mountaintop next to the Tigers' village."

Searuff took off from his perch and began the second Flight. "This is going to be great! To be in first place excites me, and to have the Feather Beacon in my possession as well, I'm not going home anytime soon." The Bird's Nest was said to be located at the Elephant village farther south from the Tiger village. He watched the landmarks, as before, and noted that the Great Canyon led through much of the territory between the Tigers and the Elephants.

"Let's see," he said, "I estimate the Elephant village is about sixty miles away, west by southwest. Yep, that's the course I want to take."

Rubie the hummingbird was second to take off. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her, and it invigorated her enough that she could find her way anywhere. Shortly afterwards, Sidewind's turn to leave the starting point came, and he was looking forward to showing his strut at the Bird's Nest.

"I'm third, I'm ready to go, and I'm a force to be reckoned with," he thought to himself. "I need A$100,000. I need all the candy I can get my beak on!"

Frendo the warbler was fourth to go, and he was raring to go. A few minutes later, so was Forkera. Frendo promised himself that he would concentrate on the task at hand, and not get distracted by Forkera's show-off ways. Forkera knew she looked beautiful for a female swallow, and was darn well proud of it, and she didn't care if she couldn't turn the heads of all the racers.

"Hope you enjoy your fancy feathers in the light of the sun, Frendo!" she shouted at Frendo as she started to catch up to him. She soon overtook him and flew a little farther ahead.

Frendo shook his head. "Ridiculous lady," he thought to himself. "She thinks she's so cool just because she's from a swallow colony. I'll show her that slow and steady really _does_ win the race."

Vulturky took off last, a while after all the others, but she was ready to catch up, too. As before on the first Flight, she allowed the sun to warm the air so she could soar on its currents, and flying took little effort for her.

* * *

Searuff navigated as carefully as possible. He spied a tall cliff and landed on it for a moment. From there, he scanned the landscape and found a river a ways to the south that would lead him near the Elephant village. Deciding this was a pretty good bit of strategy, he took off again and headed for the river.

Forkera was second to get to that area, being a fast swallow and all. Since she was a Tree Swallow, she managed to find a tall tree to perch in and observe the land below. She found a different route, a deeper part of the canyon where she could fly low and in the shadows, being harder to see from above. This too led to the Elephant village according to her vision. It had a lot of twists and turns and boulders to ram into, but it was a little more direct than Searuff's route, and Forkera was pretty agile, so she took it.

"How did Forkera get so far ahead of us so quickly?" asked Rubie as she was flying alongside Frendo and Sidewind. "I didn't think she was _that_ good."

"I don't know," said Sidewind, "But she sure is a good flyer. A _damn_ good flyer."

"She's a swallow," said Frendo, "You have to expect fast flight from birds like that, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess so," said Rubie. "But it's still a little unnerving. If she can outfly all three of us that quickly, she might make it to the Bird's Nest well before any of us do."

"Don't worry about it," Frendo offered, "She's a show-off. Her flamboyance will be her downfall sooner or later."

"Thanks," said Rubie, "Now you've made it sound like a beautiful Bird such as myself will also go down."

"That's up to _you_ , not the Race itself," said Sidewind, "You're a show-off too, but you're a gothic show-off, and people aren't as attracted to that."

"Whatever," said Rubie, "Can we just continue the Race now? If I get all jittery, I definitely won't win!"

"Fine," Frendo shrugged, "But you started it, remember?"

Rubie rolled her little eyes but said nothing.

* * *

They didn't notice it during their talk, but Vulturky had also passed them, silently soaring above their bodies and getting a head start to the end. When she got past them, she hissed and chortled to herself.

"Ha, ha! You spend too much time chatting, you get behind on the race! Besides, they're supposed to be racing each other, not banding together into a group."

She was third to get to the cliff. There, she landed and surveyed the ground. She decided that the canyon was a better bet for someone like her. That way, she could continue to soar on warm, dry air currents and get there a lot faster than if she flew over water like Searuff.

Speaking of Searuff, he was getting close to the end of his route, but when he still had about fifteen miles to go, he reached a flashing box in the sky. He popped it open and found a clue to the Predator challenge.

"Predator: _It isn't like taking candy from a baby_ ," he read.

"In this Predator challenge," said Tutulu, "racers will learn what actual birds have to go through when faced with a dangerous animal in their own feeding territory. Racers must go down to the hives of the wraiths, a large, strong insect species that steals fruit from the Elephants from time to time, fly within them, and using only their beaks like a real bird, they must peck fruit out of the wraiths' storage chambers and eat them on the wing. After ten pieces of fruit have been successfully taken and eaten from the wraiths' hive, they will be given the go to proceed to the next Bird's Nest."

"Hmm, fruit," mused Searuff. "My preferred food is fish, but I suppose it couldn't hurt to get some fruit from the wraiths."

Searuff soon located the hives of the wraiths, a couple of miles north of his route. Sure enough, plenty of wraiths were buzzing around their home. Searuff darted in very fast and grabbed one piece of fruit, quickly swallowing it.

"One down, nine to go," he said.

But his first excursion was enough to rouse the wrath of the wraiths. They became more aggressive and gathered together to protect their hive from further theft.

"Oh, goodness," Searuff groaned, "You've gotta be kidding me! I have to get past that big swarm _nine_ more times?"

Forkera had reached the clue box by this time. She believed she could handle this any day, and flew down with confidence. She saw Searuff making very cautious flights back into the hive to get more fruit without getting stung.

"Ah, that's nothing," said Forkera, "I can get those fruits a lot faster than you, Mr. Tern." She flew in very fast and got the first fruit without any problem. Searuff noticed this and got a little uneasy.

"If she can get those fruits faster and easier than I can, I'm not going to win this Flight!" he said, trying to speed up his wings and beak, as well as his courage.

But Forkera was too quick for him. She took out and ate one fruit after the other, one by one, until she had eaten ten, at about the same time Searuff had six. She perched on a safe spot on the rocks for a moment and wiped her beak and preened her feathers.

"See you at the Bird's Nest!" she said cockily as she flew away. As she noticed Vulturky flying in next, she couldn't resist shouting, "And you too, Vulturky!"

Vulturky hissed at Forkera as she came in to do the Predator challenge, but Forkera was undeterred. She flew on to the Bird's Nest, which would take her just a few minutes.

* * *

The three smaller Birds, meanwhile, had been using the sun as a compass to find the location of the Elephant village. For the moment, Sidewind was in the front of their group, with Frendo in the middle, and Rubie falling behind. They were coming to the point where they were in sight of the Elephant village, and carried on flying to their destination.

"I think I can see the clue box not far away," said Sidewind.

"Good," said Frendo, "Let's get there as fast as possible. Every Bird for himself!"

"Or _herself,"_ said Rubie.

"There isn't time to worry about gender relations right now," said Frendo. "Himself, herself, whatever. Let's just get going."

"Picky, picky," said Rubie as she followed them. "No wonder we're losing the Race. Misery loves company. I've gotta get ahead of those bums!"

* * *

At the wraiths' hives, Searuff finally managed to get his tenth fruit as Vulturky began to take fruit herself.

"I can already smell those fruits," said Vulturky as she soared into the hive.

"Hope you can smell the wraiths sneaking up on you from behind, too," said Searuff as he flew away. He had received a minor sting from a wraith, which had snuck up behind him.

The Elephants were in their circle, meditating quietly, when Forkera arrived at the Bird's Nest, right above one of their temples, on a cliff. A peacock named Abheek was standing up there with Tutulu, waiting to greet the first-comer.

"Welcome to the Elephant village," he said in an accent much like that of the Elephants themselves.

"Thank you," said Forkera courteously, bowing her head and folding her hands and wings.

"Forkera," said Tutulu, "You are racer number 1!"

Forkera cheered and chattered for herself. She was very glad, indeed, for getting this victory.

"And I have some great news for you," said Tutulu. "As the winner of this Flight, you have just won a Wing-Sling exercise kit."

Forkera cheered again.

"With this," continued Tutulu, "you can keep track of the number of miles you've flown a day, you can have your own health food cooking classes for a year, and you may stay as fit and trim as a Bird ever can be. I don't doubt that it's something you'll love."

"Oh, yeah," said Forkera, "I may not have the Feather Beacon, like Searuff, whom I outflew getting here, but I can navigate anywhere in night or day, and my speed can outstrip his well and good, especially when he's tired!"

"Must make you feel good," said Tutulu.

"It does," replied Forkera. "It sure does."

* * *

Vulturky had to admit, fruit wasn't one of her more favorite things to smell. Carrion and similar meats were more her forte. But she had to do her best on this, nonetheless, and she wasn't going to let her preferred tastes get in the way of winning A$100,000. Fortunately, as a bird of prey, she could take the fight to the wraiths to some extent, and the big bugs soon became less interested in messing with her.

As the three smaller Birds arrived, close ahead of or behind each other, Vulturky was wrapping up her work, and, while hoping to find some water to wash her beak and throat out with, she flew on to the Bird's Nest.

Searuff made it to the Bird's Nest second, and Tutulu had The Winged Migration Race's medics look at the sting scar on his back. They bandaged it, and said he would be all right as long as he didn't strain his wing muscles too much for the rest of the Race.

"How do you feel about coming in second this time?" Tutulu asked him.

Searuff shook his head and smiled. "I'm not going to be first all the time. It's all right. Second's just the first loser, but I'm sure I'll come in first again, including at the end of the Race."

Right behind him came Vulturky, who landed on the ground a few feet away and imitated Abheek's peacock posture as she waddled over to the rug. Abheek laughed, unoffended. Tutulu declared her racer number 3.

* * *

Back at the hives, Sidewind was rather enjoying this challenge, tasting the fruits with relish, and it motivated him to try harder to finish the Predator challenge quickly. He was done in almost no time at all, and was on his way.

With that, it was a race to the end with Frendo vs. Rubie. Frendo, being a warbler, wasn't used to dealing with giant wasps, and it took all his courage and all his strength to get in each time and snatch a bite. Rubie, on the other hand, was faster on the wing, but the fruits were tricky for her to pick up in her thin little beak. In fact, she was having so much trouble picking them up that she couldn't devour a single one each time she went in, and she was getting tired.

Frendo, however, seemed to be making progress. He wasn't under as much stress as she was right now. She wondered how Frendo was doing it, and she noticed that he was sucking the juices from the fruits with his own little beak. She told him, "Hey, Frendo! That's not the way you're supposed to do it!"

"In my case, it is," Frendo replied, "And I think it is in yours, too. Read your clue again."

Rubie read the full clue, which she hadn't thought to do before, and it said that for Birds with very small or thin beaks, they were permitted to suck the juice out of each fruit instead of trying to force a giant fruit down their small throats. Feeling really dumb, Rubie flittered into the hive again, sucking up the juice from the fruits, and avoiding the wraiths the entire time, which was tricky, to say the least.

She panted a sigh of relief when she was finally finished, but after she caught her breath, she saw that Frendo was nowhere to be seen.

"Blast!" she moaned, "He must have finished before I did! I've got to hustle!" She took off for the Bird's Nest.

Her fears were well founded, for Frendo _was_ a couple minutes ahead of her. He was taking full advantage of the opportunity he had to stay in the Race.

* * *

Sidewind pulled into the Bird's Nest fourth, and he commented on how Abheek's feathers reminded him of delicious candy. He thanked him for the compliment.

Frendo was putting all the muscle he could manage into making it to the Bird's Nest next. Warblers were not very enduring flyers when they were in haste, but he wouldn't give up.

Rubie, meanwhile, knew that hummingbirds could fly in little bursts of speed, making them slightly faster than warblers, sometimes. This gave her hope that she could make it.

The two little Birds kept on racing, never giving up, hoping not to come in last, until…

Tutulu pointed into the air as somebody approached the rug. A slight gust of wind flew by, and Frendo the warbler was the one to land fifth.

"You are still in this Race, Frendo. You are racer number 5!" Tutulu announced.

Frendo trilled in the manner of Cerulean Warblers, happy to still be in the Race. "Oh my gosh, it's so good to still be able to race! This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I'm so glad I took it!"

A few minutes later, Rubie came fluttering in, still hopeful. But Tutulu's sad look told her all she needed to know.

"Rubie, I'm sorry to tell you that you are the last racer to arrive," he said. "And you have been eliminated from the Race."

Rubie wiped away a small tear. "I thought I was going to do a lot better in this Race. I was so good at what I did! I guess I should've just remembered to read the _whole_ clue from the beginning, and not just the first part of it."

"What do you think your friends back home will say about your stories of The Winged Migration Race?" asked Tutulu.

"Oh, I don't know," said Rubie, trying to cheer up, "I guess my fellow hummingbird goths, including my boyfriend, will have some laughs about it. I didn't want to lose because of wraiths and large fruits, but I don't think it's vital that I take everything in life so seriously. I think we'll all enjoy my time in the Race, and I'll cheer for whoever wins it, too."

* * *

 **End of Flight 2**


End file.
